Lanterns
by Dawnie'B
Summary: AU {Ikarishipping, implied Contestshipping}. There's a saying that only people themselves can make their dream come true. Some dreams, no matter how much someone can try, is beyond their control and unable to manifest into reality. "Remember how we first met? You teased me about flying a lantern back when we were ten..."


She closed her eyes and allowed the wind to tangle her blue hair . She used to fret over such silly little things, but now, she's learned to let it pass through.

Crickets roamed, owls howled, and fireflies danced through the warm summer night. She looked up at the sky, _full moon tonight, _she clutched a Veilstone City badge close to her heart.

Beyond the calm, serene view was the busy Chinese New Year festival. She wasn't present and instead preferred the silence of nature over the busyness of the city.

"Tita,* look!" A child with brown hair and light emerald eyes ran up to Dawn's side and proudly held up a lantern with floral reds and yellows imprinted. All it needed was fire to be able to glide through the stars.

"Nearly midnight already," Dawn scuffled her fingers through the child's hair.

"Tita, can I send a note to mommy and daddy?" The child's hands clasped together, lips pouting, pleading her to say yes.

Dawn smiled, "Of course,"

"Yay!" The child's arms popped up in the air.

Dawn went into the small wooden house to look for the matches, she felt teary-eyed..the house, albeit the decorations, felt empty and colorless.

She hadn't done the lantern tradition since she was as young as ten. Opening a cabinet, she saw the matches, but just as she was about to take hold of them, a scroll, dusty and wrinkled was on the opposite end of the compartment. She gently brought the scroll out and untied the red ribbon that had locked it for many years.

Memories fell through, tears wet the page until she could ease herself again. She tied the scroll, held on to the matches, and ran outside where the child was awaiting her return.

Contrary to the aged scroll, the young girl's was new and crisp. The ribbon was also a lively pink instead of a bloody red.

She struck a rock with the edges of a match until orange and red flames sparked and oddly danced through the summer air. Both scrolls were tied on the lantern, the one most recent written, and the oldest. The young girl held the lantern as the match precisely lighted the thin wax part that rested in a square-like area. Dawn, upon adding the fire, scooped it from her and gently guided the lantern into the air like a bird about to take off on it's first flight while the younger watched eagerly, fidgeting as she stood.

The lone lantern glided and eventually joined others that took off distances away.

Cheers were heard, fireworks were blown into the sky. Colors dazzled and sparkled, a sight much more beautiful from the uncrowded distance.

"Gong hei fat choy***,**" The little girl said.

"Manigong bagong taon*****," Dawn responded and gave her a hug.

The lanterns' flight halted, distances away from all the people that flew them.

Two scrolls silkily unattached from the dying flame and hung like dry teardrops.

A pink ribbon unraveled, with messy penmanship a note from a young girl read simply:

_Mom, Dad. I never got to know you but I love you both and I miss you. Tita takes care of me and she is nice and she teaches me many things like planting and fashion . I love you and I know you are both watching over me from heaven. Love, Mikki._

The aged paper unraveled and floated; with black ink in fancy cursive the letter was longer and reflected the hopes for the future, not the present.

_Dear Paul, I miss you so much.I can't wait for you to come back along with the others from the war. I've heard news of it being over soon. I hope it shall end, the casualties have been very high! I know you'll come back, when you do I'll show you this list I made. I cannot mail this to you, but on the eve of the New Year I'll show you this. See what I did:) You are reading this right now with me, I'm betting you'll say something sarcastic before you finish reading this. I know all sound quite corny..excuse the way I phrased my meanings. Thinking however of this lists only excites me how soon you can come back, it also comforts me._

_I hope that when you came back you never leave again, that we can help as much as we could with the rebuilding of communities, and in a few years, possibly marry and settle down._

_I hope that we'll be together, love each other still, and when we're elderly still have enough energy to chase our own grandchildren. Our children and grandchildren will both be proud to know how brave you are, we'll have many stories to tell! Remember how we first met? You teased me about flying a lantern back when we were ten. Hard to believe it's been six years..six years since I haven't due to the war._

_Anyways, mahal na mahal kita, Paul. Hindi yan mababago hanggan buhay pa ako. Gagawin natin yan, liliparin natin ang lantern kasi bumalik ka. Pati sa susunod ng araw, sana walang hanggan_

_[Anyways, I love you very much, Paul. That won't change while I'm still alive. We'll do that, we'll fly a lantern because you came back. And also for our days to come of no end/infinity._

The two containers of dreams, secrets, and feelings began to spiral downward towards the ground..

Tita—Tagalog/Filipino word said to an Aunt/family friend that's older but not too old OR too young to be "ate." Even said sometimes to strangers on street.

*Gong hei fat choy- Happy New Year in Chinese I believe

Manigong bagong taon**-"Happy New year" in Tagalog..but to be more literal it could mean like "prosperous new year"**

I incooperated some Tagalog words along as well, I was actually going to write it all in Tagalog but then i decided not to ^^. Just felt nice for the vibe XD

WPFL, 13: FINISHED! I'm just going over it, i think i will actually go over it, publish it, then have it looked over again..it's been too long soo...haha xD

Well, Happy New year! I'll update more now, the chapter for WPFL was just ridiculously long haha

I might do a short one for May/Drew too, small prequel..but I'm not sure XD.


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